Executive Summary:
The “Joint Stakeholder Submission to the UN Human Rights Council’s 4th Universal Periodic Review – Egypt,” prepared by the Cairo 52 Legal Research Institute, the Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC), and the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), addresses severe human rights violations resulting from Egypt’s vice laws. These laws, namely Law 10/1961, the Penal Code, and Cybercrime Law 175/2018, are characterized by vague language and broad interpretation. This undermines the rule of law, due process rights, and various constitutional protections for residents of Egypt. Consequently, there have been significant abuses against marginalized groups, including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and the general populace. Key findings of the report include the misuse of vice laws to grant excessive discretion to law enforcement. This has resulted in arbitrary arrests and prosecutions that undermine constitutional guarantees of a fair trial and the right to privacy. Marginalized groups, particularly women and LGBTQ+ individuals, face disproportionate targeting and severe violations, such as forced anal examinations and virginity tests. The vice laws also suppress freedom of expression, as they are used as a pretext to conduct wide monitoring of social media users, not only by the state but also by private citizens. Judicial authorities encourage citizens to report acts they consider immoral, even if they are legal. Consequently, social media users face arbitrary prosecution for content deemed immoral by both private citizens and the authorities. Additionally, authorities use immoral interpretations of vague legal terminologies to enact employment discrimination against individuals who do not conform to the state’s interpretation of social morality. Meanwhile, foreigners suspected of vice crimes face arbitrary deportations, even if they are not prosecuted or convicted. The law grants the Ministry of Interior broad powers to deport those who are merely suspected of being involved in vice. The report recommends amending vice laws to align with international human rights standards. It also calls for strengthening judicial oversight to ensure due process, enforcing strict legal procedures for searches and seizures, protecting the rights of all individuals without discrimination, guaranteeing freedom of speech, preventing employment termination based on accusations of immorality, and ensuring judicial review for deportations. This report highlights the urgent need for legal and policy reforms in Egypt to protect the rights and freedoms of its citizens, especially marginalized communities.
If you wish to know more about the UPR process, please visit the UPR Fact Sheet from here